KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The easiest element to the new spot Alex Gordon commands in the Kansas City Royals batting order is the jog.

“I don’t have to sprint into the dugout,” Gordon said. “Coming in from the field, I don’t have to rush to get on deck. It’s a relaxed change of pace where I can take my time.”

Gordon would hustle if he had to. He always does, whether it means scrambling for an extra base or tracking down a fly ball in left field.

So then, making sure to take the right number of on-deck hacks with a donut stuck to his bat was never an issue.

As a leadoff hitter in 293 games the past three seasons, a spot he had not occupied since his days playing high school ball in Lincoln, Neb., Gordon got in more swings than any of the Royals.

He responded with a .358 on-base percentage as a leadoff man, but he never really looked the part. Not because he was too sluggish. Just that he seemed too sturdy. More suited as a run producer than a run scorer, though Gordon did a little of both last season when he led the Royals with 20 home runs.

“Leadoff was a little unnatural, but I did it for three years, so I got pretty used to it,” Gordon said. “It happened in the middle of 2011 when I was feeling pretty good in my role.

“Batting leadoff didn’t change a whole lot. Maybe taking a few pitches here and there, but as far as my game, my approach, it worked out pretty well. It’s the same with the five-hole. I’m staying with my approach, staying within myself and seeing what happens.”

With the addition of Nori Aoki, the role that was handed to Gordon by default three years ago, and tinkered with on occasion, is now handled by a speedy outfielder who is considered a contact hitter.

Gordon moved deeper into the lineup. Batting fifth, he is in a spot that better suits his pop.

On Friday he showed it by clearing the bases with a double in the first inning of KC’s home opener, providing a lead the Royals never relinquished against the Chicago White Sox.

“He’s the guy we feed off of, and not just offensively,” said teammate Eric Hosmer. “He’s in left field, and I’ve never seen a left fielder have so much to do with a game on a constant basis. He’s throwing guys out, diving, making plays. He’s the leader of our team.”

Even in the five-hole.

“I don’t think that makes any difference,” Hosmer added. “He’s flexible as a player. He can do different roles. At the time we needed him at leadoff, we needed him to start the tone for us. We didn’t have anybody to do that. With the additions of Nori and (Omar) Infante, it gives him the opportunity to come up with guys on base. With his power, we need him driving in runs.”

As with all moves in baseball, appraisals are made over time.

That was what Royals manager Ned Yost stressed when I asked him about moving Gordon in the lineup. At the time, he’d gone 1-for-6 in the abbreviated series at Detroit, where KC faced two All-Star aces, Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer, and lost both games.

Add a three-run double to Gordon’s stat line from a 7-5 victory and the response changed, though Gordon finished just 1-for-5. He went 2-for-4 Saturday as the Royals nipped the White Sox, 4-3.

“Somebody asked me before the (home opener) how does Alex look in the five-hole and it was hard to tell, because nobody was hitting, but he looked pretty darn good there,’’ Yost said.

A year ago, Gordon hit just .244 after the All-Star break. An early tear had him hitting over .350 in mid-May and enabled him to gain his first All-Star nod.

If he retains more consistency at the plate — his batting averages the last three seasons were .303 (2011), .294 (2012) and .265 (2013) — Gordon would become an All-Star fixture. No one in baseball is better at playing left field, where his 56 assists since 2011 are 16 more than any other outfielder.

Count that position move as a successful transition after Gordon began his career as a third baseman. It makes coping with a new spot in the order routine for Gordon, who turned 30 on Feb. 10.

“When I went out to left field, I did OK, so I can accept change,” he said. “I’m good with that, as long as it’s best for the team. That’s what (batting leadoff) was. I was the best solution for the leadoff in Ned’s mind, and I was OK with that.

“Now, being stuck between Billy (Butler) and Salvy (Perez), you get protection both in front of you and behind you. We have a good mix of lefty-righty combinations, and it’s a balanced lineup. We think we can get it going.”

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Has any team won the World Series with their left fielder as lead off? Alex is not a lead off guy. He's better where he's at in the order, but if Moose doesn't get hot after his off day on Sunday, he needs to be replaced. WE (as Royals fans) can't have an above average defensive 3rd baseman AND a great SS who BOTH can't hit for "stuff".